Clock and watch spring



(No Model.) I

G. P. GANSTER.

CLOCK AND WATCH SPRING.

No. 286,417. Patented Oct. 9, 1883.

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N, PETERS, Photo-131W. wamlon, O. C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. GANSTER, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOCK AND WATCH SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,417, dated October9, 1883.

Application filed February 12, 1883. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE I G-ANSTER, of Reading, Berks county, in theState of P61111- sylvania, (temporarily residing in Newark, in the Stateof New J ersey,) have invented cer tain new and useful ImprovementsRelating to Clock and WVatch Springs, of which the following is aspecification.

I will describe the invention as appliedto a watch.

As ordinarily arranged,watch-springs act to impel the machinery of thewatch with less force when they are nearly unwound than when the springis freshly wound up. Much pains were formerly taken to remedy themischief by preparing what was known as a fusee. Of late the inequalityhas been endured, but it is acknowledged as an evil.

The object of the present invention is to reduce the evil by changingthe point of attachment of the spring to the inclosing ease,which isrevolved thereby. I prepare a slot in each of the two plane faces of thecase, each nearly but not quite radial. A pin is inserted through theseslots extending across the interior of the case and engaging with theouter end of the spring. \Vhen the spring is wound up,tl1e pin is by thesame act drawn inward and stands in the inner end of eachslot. In thisposition it has less leverage to revolve the case than when it is in theouter ends of the slots. As the spring is unwound, the pin moves outwardin the slot, and when the spring is in its weakest condition theleverage is greatest.

The objects of this invention have been sought to be attained bydifferent constructions and arrangements, as in Patents Nos. 167,372, of1875, and 137,468, of 1878.

This invention lies in the details of construction, which will bedescribed hereinafter, and specifically pointed out in the claim.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, andrepresent what I consider the best means of carrying out theinvention.

Figure 1 is a front view of the gear-wheel, the attached barrel, andloose shaft. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is on alarger scale. It represents a portion of the sliding pin with across-section of one of the flanged rollers turning thereon. The outerend of the spring is secured to the barrel by means of this pin androller.

Similar letters of reference indi eate like parts in all the figures.

A is the shaft,provided with aprojeetion, a, adapted to engage with theinner end of the spring.

B is the spring. The inner end is adapted to engage with the projectionto on the shaft A. The outer end is looped, and engages with atransverse pin, 0, which is provided with a flanged roller, 0, at eachend.

D is the case which incloses the spring, oer tain portions beingindicated by additional marks, as D, when necessary.

1) is a projecting flange, which is toothed, as represented. By this theforce of the spring is communicated to the train of wheel-work. (Notrepresented.)

In the two plane ends D D of the case D are produced two nearly radialslots, (Z (Z. They lie directly parallel to each other on the two ends,and the pin 0 extends across through both and engages with the spring B,which lies inclosed within the case.

All the parts of a watch not represented may be of any ordinary orsuitable character. The watch is wound,as usual, by turning the shaft bythe aid of a suitable key, or, in stem-winders,by turning suitablegearing which connects to the shaft. lVhen the spring is wound up, thepin 0, and consequently the point of attachment of the spring 13 to thecase D,is shifted inward. With the slots arranged as shown, the pin willshift to the extreme inner ends of the slots. In this position theleverage is re duced and the force of the tightly-wound up spring,beingexerted on the casing D at aless leverage than usual, exerts only amoderate force on the machinery. As by the gradual turning of the casingand the connected machinery the spring is gradually unwound, theposition of the pin Gshifts more or less rapidly from the inner ends tothe middle of the slots (7, and ultimately to the extreme outer endsthereof. In this position the spring has more leverage and a given forceon the spring exerts a greater force on the gearing D. The effect is tocontribute to the equalization of the force of the spring on themachinery. The adjustment is automatic. WVhenever the spring is wound upthe motion draws the pin 0 inward. Whenever the spring is allowed touncoiltheuncoilingmovesthe pinCoutward. Therollers O,fitted loosely onthe slightly-reduced ends of the pin 0, facilitate the movement of thelatter outward and inward in the slots (1 by reducing the friction whichopposes such movement, so that it becomes almost inapprociable.

Modifications may be made in the forms and proportions.- I can vary thelength of the slots d, and to some extent the inclination thereofrelatively to the radial line on the casing. My experiments indicatethat the device will succeed with a wide range of variations in thepositions of the slots. If the slots are extended inward farther, thepin 0 is likely to shift inward farther than the present inner ends ofthe slots; but it is not useful to extend them much farther than is hereshown. If the slots are extended inward farther, the-inner ends of theslots are of no use, the pins will never be traversed inward so far asto stand in them.

and other classes of like machinery which are 30 suitable to be drivenby such springs.

I believe the invention will succeed without the rollers 0, allowing theends of the pins 0' to slidein the smoothly-finished slots (1 withoutany provision for reducing the friction. 3 5

' What I claim as my invention is In combinationwiththe easel), havingslots 66 and toothed flange D, the shaft A, and spring B, the pin 0having flanged friction-rollers O,

and the whole adapted to serve as and for the 40 purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at New York city, this9th day of February, 1883, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.f

."ono'nen 15 eANsTER. I

IVitnesses:

- H. A.-JoHNsToNn,.

B. E. D. STAFFORD.

